1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording system for recording an image by exposing light from an image plane and more particularly to an image recording system for recording an image by exposing light from an image plane to a photosensitive member wherein the image plane comprises a pixel area and a non-pixel area.
2. Description of Related Art
Heretofore, as an image recording system of this type, there has been known an exposure device utilizing a liquid crystal shutter matrix which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,058. In this exposure device, an image is formed on a panel of a shutter unit including a transmission type LCD panel, and, thereafter, light is radiated from above the LCD panel. The light transmitted through the transmission type LCD panel is directed to a photosensitive medium such as photosensitive paper, whereby the image formed on the panel is recorded on the photosensitive medium. On the transmission type LCD panel, an image plane is composed of plural pixels, and an image is formed on the panel by turning ON and OFF the pixels to render the pixels transparent or opaque, respectively. The pixels are each generally in the form of a square and occupy about 25% of the total area of the image plane. The remaining 75% is a non-pixel area comprised of a wiring pattern. Upon radiation of light from above the transmission type LCD panel with an image formed thereon, the light is intercepted at the pixel portion which is opaque, while it is transmitted at the pixel portion which is transparent. Accordingly, the light passes through the transmission type LCD panel according to the image on the panel and the transmitted light exposes the photosensitive paper. The transmission type LCD panel is, thus a light switch array which transmits the light radiated from above the upper surface only at the area of transparent pixels. Therefore, the image formed on the photosensitive paper by the exposure corresponds to the image displayed on the transmission type LCD panel. Since the pixels occupy 25% of the image plane, if adequate movements of the LCD panel twice in the X direction (X3, X4) and twice in the Y direction (Y3, Y4) are followed by exposure of the photosensitive paper in the respective positions, the non-pixel area on the transmission type LCD is theoretically not recorded on the photosensitive paper.
However, the following problem occurs in the above exposure device. Since the accuracy of a driving means is not perfect, if exposure is actually performed in the above manner, the recorded image will be deteriorated in both contrast and quality. More particularly, if the accuracy of the driving means which is for moving the shutter unit in the X or Y direction is not perfect, then, for example as shown in FIG. 7, exposed areas are spaced from each other. In the nonexposed spaces, a black line appears on the recorded image though it is a very fine line. In FIG. 7, there is illustrated only one pixel. Thus, if the accuracy of the driving means is not perfect, part of the wiring pattern is projected blackly on the image recorded on the photosensitive paper, resulting in the contrast and quality of the recorded image being deteriorated.